Fans of the Adult Swim series Rick and Morty have been eagerly awaiting the new season of the series, not merely because they want to see what madcap adventures are in store for the grandpa-grandson duo but also because they know the new season will bring about a few important changes to the series. The most crucial change pertains to the titular characters themselves. Rick and Morty will get new voice actors in Season 7, thanks to Justin Roiland’s departure from the show.
The show’s co-creator and the voice behind the titular characters of both Rick and Morty, Justin Roiland, was let go from the series due to the legal controversy that surrounded him earlier this year. Roiland was accused of false imprisonment and felony domestic battery by an unidentified woman. Although charges were dropped in March this year due to insufficient evidence, Rick and Morty had already let go of Roiland. Given this, the drop of the new trailer for Rick and Morty season 7 was highly anticipated by fans. Now that the trailer is finally here, fans have jumped onto social media to share what they think. Here’s what they’ve had to say.
Adult Swim Got It Wrong
A significant proportion of viewers believe that Adult Swim has failed in their attempt to find proper matches to replace Roiland. Keen listeners have been able to pick out differences that make it obvious that there has been a change in the voice actors of the characters. Some have even said that they might not stick with the new season owing to the changes that the season brings.
Disappointed fans also commented that the replacement voices don’t have the same effect as the previous six seasons did. However, giving the show the benefit of the doubt, they said, “…who knows it might eventually work out or it could be the final nail in the coffin.”
A good proportion of fans on Instagram were also disappointed with the new voices. From users saying they needed to get drunk to watch the new season so they wouldn’t notice the differences in the voices to claiming that they won’t watch the season at all, there has been a good amount of disappointment in the upcoming season. @brunocombochi wrote:
“Cmon, the morty is terrible, rick is ok can pass but even rick, its like the characters changed, make a reboot then idk, im sorry but unfortunatelly and i say that with a tremendous pain but i wont watch that season :/”
A Good Job in Finding a Replacement
However, others believe that Adult Swim has done a good job finding a replacement for Roiland. Although the voices are not a perfect match, after all, no two voices can be the exact same; viewers think that they may, in due time, forget that Rick and Morty’s voice actors have actually been recast. Per comments on X, fans have also had pretty low hopes regarding Adult Swim being able to find a perfect match and are, therefore, “pleasantly surprised.”
Defending the casting of new actors for Roiland’s role and hitting back at those who were picking on the minute differences in the voices, Instagram user @skysskape said:
“I feel like if this trailer dropped and no one knew about the Justin situation, nobody would notice😭The voices are SUPER CLOSE and the nitpicking is coming from actually /knowing/ it is a different actor. A voice is a superficial difference anyways, if it ruins the show for you that’s injustice to the dozens of teams that made the production happen. It looks promising 🤷♂️”
Other X users were also taken up by the perfect casting of the voices.
With the new voices in tow, fans are quite excited for the new season of the much beloved, chaotic show.
Support for Roiland
In a controversial move, there have also been a few viewers who have expressed that Roiland should not have been removed from Rick and Morty in the way that he was. Speaking of creative talent, users said that nobody “deserves to have their voice stolen.”
A few users on Instagram also defended Roiland. @marcr1chter wrote:
“The guy was found innocent. And literally this show would be no where without him. Just bring him back you pc minions”
However, the opinion was met with significant contention online, with viewers saying that merely having creative talent does not mean that one can have their wrongdoings excused. Another user commented that whatever is created during the period of employment automatically becomes the intellectual property of the employer, and therefore, the replacement of Roiland as the voices of Rick and Morty should not be a consideration.
Who Are the New Voices?
Fans have also been quite curious about the new voices behind the loved titular characters. It has been reported that Adult Swim has cast two separate voice actors for the roles in Season 7, unlike in previous seasons where Roiland voiced both characters.
However, Adult Swim has decided not to reveal the identity of the new voice actors until the season debuts, leaving fans guessing who they might be.
The comments on social media make it clear that reactions to Rick and Morty Season 7, and especially the new voices behind the characters, are mixed. While for some, the change in voice is not too significant, for others, it has been the make-or-break point of the new season. Season 7 of Rick and Morty is set to premiere on October 15, 2023, on Adult Swim.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
